Hwang gets stem cell work ban
2008-08-01 14:14
Seoul - South Korea refused on Friday to allow disgraced cloning scientist Hwang Woo-suk to resume work on human stem cells citing his "ethical problems" that scandalised the international scientific community with fake research.
Hwang filed for a government licence in December to resume research on cloning human embryos, two years after his falsified breakthroughs in stem cell research were debunked.
"We took into consideration the ethical problems that caused him to be fired as professor ... and the fact that he was indicted on charges of illegally trading in human eggs," the Health Ministry said in a statement.
Hwang had been the only South Korean scientist allowed to carry out such research.
But the government stripped him of the license in 2006 after he was found to have falsely claimed breakthroughs in creating stem cells from cloned human embryos.
Stem cells are master cells that can grow into any bodily tissues, which scientists say could lead to revolutionary new cures for hard-to-treat diseases.
Hwang was fired from the prestigious Seoul National University and was put on trial for allegedly accepting funds under false pretences, embezzlement and illegally purchasing human eggs for research.
Once hailed a national hero, Hwang went into seclusion after the deception was exposed. His comments on Friday's rejection were not available.
Though most of his research was found to be fake, Hwang and his team of Seoul National University scientists successfully created the world's first known dog clone in 2005, and that achievement was independently confirmed.
In May, a US biotech company announced it partnered with Hwang's team at the Seoul-based Sooam Biotech Research Foundation to offer a commercial dog-cloning service.
Hwang's team also announced in June that they created 17 clones of a Tibetan mastiff, an endangered dog breed popular in China.
- AP